You just graduated from massage school and are ready to go out into the world and find that wonderful job in massage that you were told about. You send out a few applications, go for interviews and you take the first job that you are offered only to find out later that it is the massage job from #^&*@! You are working long hours without breaks between sessions, the chiropractor is billing $120 an hour and you are only making $20 an hour, your massage office doesn’t have a real door but only a curtain dividing you from the hair salon, you can’t get a key to the office because of problems with past employees. These are actually stories that I have heard from massage therapists.

Finding a job in the massage profession that pays really well and can support you on your path to being a massage therapist is really about first creating an image of your Ideal Job in Massage.

1. What is your philosophy on healing and health?
2. What type of environment would you like to work in? With doctors, other medical professionals, at a spa, on a cruise ship?
3. How much would you like to get paid? What benefits do you want?
4. What hours do you want to work?
5. What incentives are there for you to get clients to come back or even bring in new clients?
6. Do you have complete control over the session or will someone be instructing you what to do and how to do it?

Once you get a list of places that you think you would like to work at and that would fit your idea of your ideal massage job, start doing some company research. Go and get a dozen massages there and see how you like the service and environment. Ask the massage therapist there what it is like to work there. Find out what the management and service is like first hand. Then you can decide if you want to be part of such an environment. You don’t have to take the first job that is offered to you. If you are desperate for a job and need to do that do it knowing that it will be a learning experience. It will be a stepping stone to finding out what you do want in a massage job. Sometimes when you are first out of school, you won’t really care. Expect to change jobs until you find your ideal job or have the patience to participate in whatever job you do take. While you may think that getting a job means that you don’t have to do much and that clients will just be directed to you - you will be much more successful if you treat it as if it were your own practice. Learn to work with clients and communicate and educate them as to what getting regular massage can do. Having repeat clients will show the management that you are good at what you do. It will give you leverage in asking for what you want.

To find out more about how to find or create your ideal massage job visit the job center at www.thebodyworker.com

Julio Onofrio
Founder www.thebodyworker.com

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Do you think it’s worth running a natural health ‘open evening’ to discuss health issues and as an aside promote my practice? I’m a massage therapist, reflexologist and Reiki practitioner.

Hannah, that is a great idea and it is very much worthwhile.

Here are some things to think of:

• Plan it on an ongoing and consistent basis
  Running evenings like that as a once-off might not bring the results you are looking for. Over time, people get to value them and tell their friends.
• Give your participants value
  They need to leave, blown away by what they have learned and how that has positively impacted on their lives. (Could just be emotional support to deal with a specific long-term problem, does not have to be a quick fix).
• Target your market well
  Choose topics that you can help with and let the people you want to treat know. As an example if you work with older people, hold the evenings in retirement villages.
• Invite your friends
  A bigger group is always more exciting for the participants. The networking they do can be a benefit as well. Also, having the support of people who love you helps.
• Invite other complementary health practitioners
  Guest speakers can deepen the conversation.
• Use it for PR
  Remember the post about creating newsworthy actions.

Something else to consider is whether to charge for these evenings or keep them free. Free might bring more people, but they might not value it as much.

I ran events like that for health practitioners, talking about different marketing topics. I charged $5. Looking back that was too little, because it did not translate into direct sales and gave a lot of what they wanted already.

With a harder sales approach (e.g. offering a discount if they purchase something that evening) it might work. I don’t use that because I do not think that it builds positive long-term relationships.

So if you do not expect quick sales, but want to build your network long-term, it is a great way of achieving it.

If you have been following this blog for a while, you know that my wife Caroline is currently promoting her new service: Postnatal Exercise Classes.

One of the things she did was sent out a media release. Ever since, she has been running outside every day a paper was delivered and looked through every page to find herself.

At a rough guess it has been 3 weeks since she first sent it out (to about 8 newspapers and magazines). So far only one article. And a call back from a journalist who is preparing another article.

And that even though she had called every paper after sending it out, she had even sent it to different people within the same paper.

Persistence

Again, as so many other things, this is a question of persistence, keeping at it, continuously delivering new great stories (maybe about some community project your are doing) and building a relationship with the journalists or editors.

Patience

Once the article is in, does the phone ring non-stop?

No it does not, but what I do know from earlier editorials is that people cut it out, put it in their drawer and ring back later. Sometimes massage clients of mine received calls half a year after the editorial, referring to the newspaper article someone had read.

So even though it is work, it pays out, especially when you keep doing it and people get used to reading about you in the paper.

Final note

As I am about to publish this post, I notice that Jack Humphrey just published a blog post about public relations as well. His main point is to create some newsworthy action.

In the last few weeks, a Yoga DVD for pregnant mothers was launched in our city. They offered a free Yoga class in the park to celebrate the launch. That got publicity so much more easily. They said that they had just sent the media release in and got calls from every newspaper. And they even got a press photographer to the launch.

So media releases need to be newsworthy. Think about some ways that you can make them so, even if that means more work.

What exactly do you mean by credibility? Is it in relation to people believing that you can help them?

If you are just starting out the only way to get that fast is to give people a taste of what you do: giving something away for free. Depending on your modality that could be a check-up or a short demonstration of your modality. When you do that, it is best to put a $ value on it to show what you are worth. And then you can use that meeting to start building a relationship.

Give to Get

You have heard it many times: clients are built on relationships of trust. That
is the way to new clients as well. This is so important, because treatments
are services that differ from products in that potential clients cannot touch
them or look at them before buying.

The best way to earn their trust is to give them a taste of what they can gain
from a treatment. This means you need to give something without the
security that you will get anything back.

I have heard many practitioners saying that they are not willing to give
something away, that they have spent too much money for their education
and now is the time to earn it back.

The fact is, if you are not having enough paying clients to fill your day, you
are wasting your valuable time. Each hour that you are not producing
income, you are losing money. Let’s assume that you charge $50 per hour. If
you have 10 empty spots a week that is $500, which is around $25,000 a
year. Talk about giving something away!

So now you need to be focussed on filling these spots. Using any spare nonproductive
time is the cheapest thing you can give away, because it only
costs your time, not time and money.

Whether someone is good in selling or not usually comes from the mindset of what you are trying to achieve.

As long as you are stuck in the: “I have to convince someone to give me money.” it is very unlikely that you will have much success. But when you return to what you really want to achieve, what made you become a health practitioner in the first place, your focus will shift to providing value for your clients. Then the “selling” turns into providing value to others in need and they start asking you for more.

A clear vision helps to reconnect with that original reason why you do what you do.

Setting up a new practice is always a time of uncertainty and change. The best way to get through that time is to get good support. Maybe you can find a successful practitioner in your area that is happy to mentor you. Usually, successful people are very happy to share as a way of giving back.

Your Follow-Up System

What you also want to do is build a system for the future. All current clients
become past clients if the relationship is not nurtured. So from now on,
finish all treatments by assessing what the best course of action is for your
client.

If it is coming back in a certain time, tell them and make an appointment. If it
is a matter of wait and see, tell them how long to wait and see (e.g. 2 days,
one week); and tell them that you will call to find out how they are. Write this
in your appointment book and call them on the specified day.

If they are healed and do not need to come back, tell them and write it into
your appointment book for a phone follow up in a time-frame that is useful
for your modality (maximum 3 months) and call.

Take the time each day to make the calls that are due and you will continue
to build your practice.

I have just read an excellent article on How to Charge Your Dream Rates (and get away with it).

It is written for freelancers, but it applies to massage and other natural health therapists as well.  Take note of the caveat at the beginning : “If you’re struggling to make ends meet, I’d suggest building a stable financial base before attempting to charge your dream rates.”

Three steps are outlined:

1. Convincing the client that you are worth it.
2. Finding out whether the client can afford it.
3. Making sure the client does not think you are bluffing.

Whereas freelancing has that element of negotiating rates with each client and you might be more set in your rates, something important can be learned: You have to be certain that you are worth it to be able to communicate your rates convincingly - no matter what they are.

There is also an important tip with regards to step 2: If your clients cannot afford your rates, you might need to think about a better marketing approach that attracts the right clients.

Go to FreelanceSwitch.com for the whole article. It is well worth reading.

I’ve been getting a lot of great questions about massage marketing. Rather than just answering individuals, I thought to share the answers with you in this blog.

Here is an email I received recently and my answer:

Funny, as I was thinking about emailing you. I’m not sure I should have got the training as I now realise it is for people who are trying to expand an existing practice. I am new and just starting my practice so I can’t really use existing clients, as I don’t have any!!

I am a Bowen Technique practitioner and I tell everyone I meet how wonderful it is, how it helped me and other people etc. They are really interested, take leaflets etc. and then never make appointments. Those that have made appointments then cancel. I ask whether it is because they don’t know the technique and they tell me no, they are just too busy and will reschedule. (more…)